Bandcampus: SXSW Prep, Today

Damn, damn, damn. I did this last time, and I’m doing it yet again, I’m afraid — running late in mentioning the latest Bandcamp/Bandcampus deal, going on today, Sunday, February 28th. (In my defense, I was up way, way too late last night & just couldn’t bring myself to get back on the computer when I got back, ears & head ringing, from the Festival at the Mink; goddamn, White Rhino are looouuuuud…)

At any rate, the focus this time out is on “SXSW Prep,” which means that the idea is to help bands get ready for making the drive up to Austin and trying to make themselves look good in front of the largest potential audience they’re likely to ever see (well, most of ’em, anyway).

Today’s Bandcampus deal will pair up attending musicians/bands with good-hearted volunteers who’ll help ’em get a promo pack together — both real-world and online — which is pretty much a must for something where you’re facing craploads of label and press people who maybe, just maybe, might think you’re pretty cool and want to know more about you.

This afternoon the Bandcampus gang (led, as always, by the seemingly never-sleeping Matthew Wettergreen) will also announce the bands/musicians who’ll be playing Houston@SXSW, a cool party that’ll be held 3/15 at some place called Hudson’s. Unfortunately, I’m afraid the deadline for nominations to play the dang thing has already passed, this past Thursday (just saw it, sorry!), but you can vote on the list of nominees from now until, oh, about a half-hour from now — voting closes today at noon. To vote, get on over here: http://micropoll.com/t/KDrkEZBCok. You get to pick three bands, and it’s one voting session per IP, so don’t bother trying to blast the thing w/votes for yourself, eh? And yes, it’s a damn tough list to pick the top three, ’cause they’re all good…

Anyway, Houston@SXSW should be a good show — I’ll try to get more info up here about it as I get it — and the SXSW preparatory stuff is good either way. (Hell, in my book it’s good even if you’re not playing SXSW, but that’s another discussion…)

Details time: the thing’s today, as I said above, from 2-4PM this afternoon, naturally up at the Caroline Collective. Matthew’s not just looking for bands to attend, btw — volunteers are needed to help out w/the graphic design, the Web stuff, writing band blurbs, and pretty much anything else promo-related. Get on over to the Collective if you want to help out.